David "Davey" Smith, MD, professor of medicine, has been appointed director of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) at University of California San Diego, effective July 1, 2024.
Smith is a highly respected expert in infectious diseases and a prolific translational researcher, internationally recognized for his work in turning lab discoveries into better health outcomes. With over 360 scientific publications, he was recognized by Clarivate as one of the top 1 percent of researchers worldwide by scientific citations in 2022 and 2023. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, Smith has been deeply involved in the global effort to find safe and effective treatments for the virus, serving as the international protocol co-chair for the ACTIV-2 study, part of the NIH’s ACTIV (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines) program.
As an experienced leader, Smith served as chief of the School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health from 2017 to 2024. He is also the founding director of the university’s Pandemic Response to Emerging Pathogens, Antimicrobial Resistance and Equity Institute and co-director of the Center for AIDS Research.
In his new role as director of ACTRI, Smith will ensure the execution of efficient and high-quality clinical and translational research. He will oversee the ACTRI’s strategic management, collaborate with regional educational, clinical, and community-based research partners, and lead the next phase of the ACTRI’s mission.
In 2023, Smith was appointed assistant vice chancellor of clinical and translational research and co-principal investigator on the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), now in its fifteenth year of NIH funding. The CTSA is one of the largest sponsored projects at the university; ACTRI resources support almost all clinical trials at UC San Diego, with about 40 percent of UC San Diego’s clinical trial activity occurring in the ACTRI clinic. In his leadership roles, Smith has led multidisciplinary teams addressing complex biomedical challenges. Notably, his recent work has demonstrated how artificial intelligence can enhance patient experiences by improving empathy and accuracy in response to queries. Under his leadership, ACTRI will continue to be at the forefront of using innovative technologies to improve health.
As a senior advisor to the Vice Chancellor of the Health Sciences, Smith’s exceptional leadership and expertise will be critical in steering current and future clinical research initiatives. His dedication to mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists and his commitment to advancing clinical and translational research make him an ideal partner for our faculty and leaders.